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tips&techniques Pattern allows easy grip with gloves on uphill side. 3⁄4-in. plywood CONTINUED Lightweight block template When presented with the prospect of repositioning over 50 concrete reinforcing-wall blocks, my bad back and shoulders cringed. I came up with the idea of the lightweight template shown here. It is made of 3⁄4-in. plywood and 1x cedar. The template weighs 4.8 lb., in contrast to the 60-lb. concrete blocks. Its light weight allowed me to place it many times so that I could adjust the adjacent blocks and add or remove gravel base. 1x cedar Eased edges for durability I made the holes on top of the template big enough for a gloved hand, and the holes on the bottom mimic the concrete bases. A small strip on the bottom helps set the courses in alignment. I used an 8-in. spirit level and a 2-lb. maul to make the exact location and support for each concrete block. I then had only to lower the concrete block once into position and tap it into its final place. I saved myself from having to lift over 3000 lb. of blocks several times, and my body was grateful. —JOHN W. DUERINGER Camano Island, Wash. 15⁄8-in. screws Strip along bottom matches block. TIP FROM THE ARCHIVES Automatic charger shutoff Many contractors return to their shops after work to unload tools, and they place the batteries from their power tools in the charger overnight. When a charge takes an hour at most, I don’t like leaving the charger running longer than that, especially because there are times when I don’t go into my shop for days. I solved this problem by hard-wiring a one-hour Intermatic FF60MC spring-wound timer into my charger’s dedicated power outlet. This inexpensive timer also can be wired into a power extension cord to use in the field. —J. KAYE Phenix, Va. Realigning doors that settle I believe that we should always build for where things will be after many years. With that in mind, when installing sliding doors, I’ve learned not to shim and nail the top of the frame to the header, especially if it is a three-panel door. Over time, the header may sag a little, placing a load on the door frame and binding the door and/or the glass. To maintain stability and alignment of the horizontal frame, I install countersunk, flat-head, smooth-shank screws up through the top of the door frame. When the header sags, the screws gently protrude, allowing them to be tightened further in years to come. Likewise, the trim should not be nailed to the header but only to the horizontal frame. The trim will slide up the surface of the wall if necessary. —JOHN PANAK Austin, Texas Boring clean holes When I need to bore an especially clean hole, such as one for a screw plug, I typically apply the simple principle of opening up my wallet; I use pricey, precisionmachined brad-point bits that I normally can count on for crisp work. But with certain woods, such as mahogany, even the sharpest cutters leave an unsightly frayed edge. Up-shear geometry is great for evacuating shavings, but it can drag debris past the surface fiber, causing splintering. Here’s a way to avoid the problem. As shown in the drawing, start the hole with the drill running in reverse to produce down-shear cutting, which pushes the waste wood away from the face of the workpiece while compressing surface fibers at the circumference of the hole. Finish boring with the drill rotating normally. Unless you use a drill press, the hole will likely be 1⁄64 in. or so out of round. In all but the fussiest of circumstances, this amount will be negligible. If this method is new to you, try the technique on a few pieces of scrap to get a feel for it. —MICHAEL STANDISH West Roxbury, Mass. 22 FINE HOMEBUILDING Brad-point bit Start hole by boring counterclockwise. ISSUE 166 // 2004